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Sue takes Hyde Park by Storm

Maestro winner Sue Perkins tonight wowed the 35,000-strong Proms in the Park audience at the Last Night of the Proms.

Pointing to the assembled throng, Sue told Maestro host Clive Anderson, "If you've seen one of my solo shows, Clive, you'll know that I can expect crowds of anything up to 50!"

To the cheers of the audience, and egged on by presenter Terry Wogan and her fellow Maestro students, Sue conducted Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No 4, and accompanied soprano Lesley Garrett in the Bolero, "Merce, dilette amiche" from Verdi's opera The Sicilian Vespers, and "The Impossible Dream" from The Man of La Mancha, a musical retelling of the story of Don Quixote.

"It was terrifying doing all that music in the series," Sue told Clive Anderson. "And it was really a journey about my confidence. I can't thank everyone enough."

Joining Clive Anderson in the Proms studio were Maestro judges Simone Young, Dominic Seldis and Zoe Martlew. "The right conductor won the competition," Zoe declared. "Sue's preparation was immaculate - she finds out what needs to be done and fixes it." Dominic Seldis added, "It came down to two different performances of Beethoven's Fifth, and Sue's was outstanding." Sue commented, "I don't have the physical reach to get a big sound, so the whole way I conduct is about feeling it."

Responding to a question from Clive Anderson about the dearth of women conductors, Simone Young commented: "It's just a question of changing the tradition. Great conductors come from great musicians; in the old days, orchestras such as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic didn't have women in their ranks. That's changed, and with so many women in orchestras now, the outlook is good."

Asked to sum up the Maestro project, Last Night of the Proms conductor Sir Roger Norrington, who chaired the panel of judges, commented: "Maestro provided a marvellous opportunity to open up classical music, and to give the public real insight into how conducting works."

Maestro - the Winner's Finale Live - is available for seven days on the BBC iPlayer.

Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian’s arts correspondent, was first up with a review of the Maestro Final posted on the Guardian Culture Blog at 9.53 this morning. A Spectator review has also been posted by Henrietta Bredin.

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